Back rests and aqua chaises



Feb. 22, 1966 I W. M. EMERY BACK RESTS AND AQUA CHAISES Filed Sept. 10, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 b FIG. I

I la a I y INVENTOR Feb. 22, 1966 I w. M. EMERY 7 3,

BACK RESTS AND AQUA CHAISES Filed Sept. 10, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 22, 1966 w. M. EMERY BACK RESTS AND AQUA CHAISES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 10, 1965 INVENTOR 'bed'or for stable buoyancy in water.

the user more especially while reading or floating. cordingly another object is to'provide a fluted back support that closely follows and normally holds itself to a shape similar to and hugging the curvature of the back,

'or to nose over frontwards.

United States Patent O 3,235,892 BACK RESTS AND AQUA CHAISES William M. Emery, 44 Pittsford Way, New Providence, NJ. Filed Sept. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 487,651 11 Claims. (Cl. 9312) My present invention successfully fulfills two diverse purposes, both as a boudoir back rest and an aqua chaise or a one-person float. As used in bed for reading, relaxing or watching TV, it is placed against the head board of a bed with possibly a conventional pillow positioned horizontally at the mattress level for added inclination. The height, comparative thinness and unique shell shape of the boudoir chaise is such as to provide a resilient and forwardly angled head rest, as well as a bucket shaped support for the body and arm rests. When used as an aqua chaise, the arms of the chaise are usually placed under or below the arms of the user with the fluted body of the chaise at the back of the user, although the preferred position can be reversed with the stomach of the user on the chaise.

In the preferred position, the body of the user is sup ported in the water optionally vertically, diagonally or horizontally and in all these positions the buoyancy of the aqua chaise is so disposed as to support the user in quite stable equilibrium, due to the cooperative function of the back, arms and hinged tail piece resisting lateral rolling or nosing forward. A seat loop optionally provides additional variety of positions. Stable equilibrium requires that the point of suspension (or the resultant of the combined buoyancy) be above the center of gravity of the object. Most small floats, when placed under the body, result in unstable or neutral equilibrium and accordingly require constant balancing or vigilance by the user to avoid turning over.

Objects of my present invention include the creation of a multi-purpose back and arm support for use either in a Another object is the creation of a shell-shaped bucket back that is normally concave on its vertical axis having a top portion that also curves forward on a horizontal axis in a shelllike fashion to resiliently support the back-of the head of shoulders and neck of the user. Another object is to provide an inflatable back support which, because of multiple and unique fluting which forms a plurality of columns, requires a minimum amount of air for inflation.

Another object is to provide a chaise with arms fully sealed in the flat and attached to the back portion in a manner that their major center plane is perpendicular thereto when inflated and tends to extend therefrom at an angle normal to the plane of the back and is resiliently would be unstable, in such a manner and design as to support the user in water in stable equilibrium whether the user is substantially vertical, diagonal or horizontal, resisting any tendency to turn over accidentally sidewise Another object is to provide a chair-like support in water which allows abundant limb freedom of the user forlimited locomotion and a feeling of swimming yet providing complete effortless relaxation and bathing without exertion particularly enjoymal exertion allowing restful sun bathing in the water 3,235,892 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 instead of climbing out of the pool as soon as fatigued.

Other objects and the successful attainment of all objects will be obvious from the following specifications and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of my invention after heat sealing but before inflation with one arm attached and shown partly broken away,

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of my invention shown inflated,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one arm with the seat loop 'partly broken away.

1 FIG. 5 shows my aqua chaise in use without the seat oop.

FIG. 6 shows it in use horizontally, and

FIG. 7 shows it in use vertically like FIG. 5, but with the seat loop in use.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, my invention is made from two flat pieces of sheet vinyl 8 and 9 electronically heat sealed together in the flat and for descriptive purposes may be subdivided into a back portion 10 having a top portion 11, a mid portion 12, a lower portion 13 and a tail'portion 14. Likewise two similar arms 50 sealed in the flat and sealed to the back 10 in the flat.

The top '11 includes two symmetrical center bulbous portions 15 and 15 defined by arcuate seals 16 and 16 and a centerline flute seal 17 and flute seals 18 and 18 converging down toward center flute 17 or diverging up from the mid portion 12. Other bulbous portions 20 and 20 are defined by arcuate seals 21 and 21 and arcuately converging flute or bar seals 18 and 18 and 22 and 22 respectively. Other bulbous portions 23 and 23 are defined by arcuate seals 24 and 24 and flute seals 22 and 22 together with peripheral seals 25 and 25. Technically seals such as 16 are beaded tear seals and flute seals such as 18 are called bar seals which may be continuous or intermittent, such as a series of dashes, dots or circles in alignment.

Whereas bulbous portions 15 and 15 are larger than 20-20 and 23-23 are the smallest, when the flutes converge into mid portion '12, flutes 17 and '18-18 are the closest together defining columns 30 and 30, flutes 18-18 and 22-22 are more separated and define wider columns 31 and 31, and flutes 22-22 and peripheral seals 25-25 are the most'separated and define the widest columns 32 and 3 2. So the mid portion 12 may be said to consist of six columns of symmetrical and increasingly graduated sizes 30to 32 and 30 to 32 and top portion 11 consists of six bulbous portions symmetrically graduated in size in'the opposite order'from 2-3, 20 to 15 and 23, 20 to 15.

In the lower portion '13 of the back 10, flutes 22 and 22 terminate in islands '35 and 35 and columns 31 and 32 and also 31 and 32 merge into larger and stiffer columns 34 and 34 respectively. Flute 17 and flutes 18- 18 extend further terminating in inflated or uninflated islands-36, 37 and 37 respectively.

Partly separating thelower'po'rtion of the back '13 from the tail portion 14 is a long radius arcuate -seal'40'having its center in or near top 11. Superimposed on seal 40 are islands 41, '42 and 42 which being quite close to islands 36, 37 and 37' respectively tend to produce a ripple or partial fold in'the vinyl sheet 8 to continue a hinging action or line ofeasy bending that occurs along flutes 17, 18 and 18 without interfering with the inflation and passage of air along the transverse connecting column 39 which terminates the lower back portion 13 and is purposely made flexible rather than stiff by the said rippling or partial folding to encourage concavity in portions 12 and 13.

Islands 41, 42 and 42 also extend more deeply into'the tail portion 14 and together with islands 43-43 and 44- 44', which latter terminate arcuate seal 40, have the effect after the inflation of portion 14 of making the arcuate length of side 45 of tail portion 14 shorter than the adjacent portion of the bottom edge 46 which gives the tail portion bodily an arcuate shape which together with are 40 tends, in conjunction with other means, to effect in the lower portion 13 and the mid portion 12, a concave bucket seat effect when said tail portion is hinged, bent or angled backwards about 45 or more along the long radius are 40 as shown in FIG. 3.

Inflated columns such as 30 to 32 possess a stilfness that resiliently resists bending and bar seals, such as flutes 17, 18, 22 and 40 act as hinges and tend to encourage bending or folding, particularly when they are substantially straight or of long radius. Short radius seals such as 62 resist bending.

When this bucket seat effect occurs in the mid portion 12 and the lower portion 13, then because of the relative sizes of the bulbous portions 23, 20, 15, 15', and 23 and their adjoining columns and the manner in which flutes 23, 18, 18' and 24' diverge sidewise or laterally away from their relatively parallel relationship in midsection 12, the top 11 curves forward in a shell-like manner as shown in FIG. 3 to provide head support for the user which is further emphasized by the bulbous portions being of larger diameter than the columns.

While the applicants Patent D. 197,397 of January 28, 1964 appears to be somewhat similar to the top 11, and he has made many thousand such pillows, he has never noticed any tendency for them to assume or even maintain of themselves a concave shape on their vertical axis or for the top to tend to curve forward on a horizontal axis.

Accordingly, it appears that in order to produce a concave curving back, that in conjunction with other factors, at least five symmetrical vertical columns and four flute seals and at least five bulbous ends, some of which diverge from the vertical columns at angles approaching the horizontal, are a minimum necessity.

The tail portion 14 also has an additional function when used in water by adding extra buoyancy when the bather is horizontal, in which case the tail assumes a flat position instead of the 45 position. When the bather is in a vertical position, the tail portion 14 assumes a 45 or 90 position thus encouraging stability of buoyancy suitable for the position in use.

The design of the identical arms 50 with their complete peripheral seal 59 is shown in FIG. 4. Seal 59 can be made onthree sides only if the sheet of vinyl is folded on the fourth side. The arm as shown is particularly suitable for water use, not only because of its length and buoyancy but because its center plane is substantially vertical.

When the mid portion 12 of back 10 is inflated it draws together in such a manner that it becomes of lesser width than top portion 11 or bottom portion 13 or tail portion 14. This no doubt also aids the bucket seat effect, but also it changes the side angles 64-64 of the lower portion 13 so that angles 64 and 64' become substantially vertical. All these characteristics of the arms 50 provide a stable buoyancy which resists side rolling or nosing forward by the user. This stability would not, be provided by the back 10 alone which would by itself be unstable.

As shown in FIG. 1, each arm is heat sealed to and through sheets 8 and 9 of the lower back 13 and 61 is a curved or V or U shaped line which when inflated causes the arms to resiliently extend diagonally or at an angle substantially normal (more or less at right angles) to the lower back portion and not to tend to flop sidewise, but rather to embrace the user aided by the concavity or bucket seat effect of 12, 13 and 14. If seal 62 were a straight line, then it would act as a simple hinge and arms 50 would flop outward. Being curved as shown, inflation of arms and columns 32, 34 and 40 pushes arms 50 outward about 90 and at the same time resiliently bends a section of 32 and 34 backwards which resiliently resists further separation of arms 50. The seal 61 of arms 50 to the lower back 13 is completed by bar seal 63. Seals 61 and 63 each seal or fuse four thicknesses of flat vinyl sheets together including 8 and 9 and the two sheets forming each arm.

A seat loop or sling 65 which may or may not be inflated and which is considerably longer than the distance between the arms 50 is fastened by its ends to each arm at 66. The extra length of the seat loop 65 has two functions. First it allows it to be pushed aside and not used, as shown in FIG. 4 or secondly, as shown in F IG. 7 the user may sit on it so that arms 50 do not press directly on the under arms of the user in which case my invention functions more as a conventional chair. If the length of loop 65 was similar to the distance between arms 50, the user would be positioned so high relative to back 10 and arms 50 that the inherent stability of my aqua chaise might be unreliable or considerably reduced.

The peripheral seal 70 joins with the arcuate seals 24- 24', 21-21 and 16-16 and also peripheral seals 25-25 to completely seal the periphery of the back 10, and valve 71 is provided in either vinyl sheet 8 or 9 to inflate only back 10. A separate but similar valve is provided in each arm 60 for inflation.

Dimensional and other modifications possible without departing from the teachings and objects of my invention are anticipated and included in my invention.

Accordingly I claim:

1. An inflatable device comprising two layers of plastic sheet peripherally heat sealed flat together, a plurality of longitudinal and substantially spaced flute forming seals diverging toward one end of said plastic sheet, two separately inflatable arms, one end of each arm being heat sealed flat at and to each side edge of said sheet near the other end of said sheet while positioned flat thereon and transversely across said plastic sheet, being heat sealed thereto in such a manner that when layers of plastic sheet and the arms are inflated, the arms shall extend themselves from the plane of the layers of the plastic sheet.

2. An inflatable device comprising a resilient fluted back, arm rests positioned at the side edges and near one end of said back and a loop-shaped seal joining one end of each arm rest to said back while said arms are superimposed transversely across said back and effective after inflation to extend and resiliently position said arms away from the plane of said back.

3. A float comprising an inflatable back portion fluted longitudinally, buoyant arm rests positioned at the sides of said back portion near one end thereof and extending substantially at right angles to the plane of said back portion and a seat loop suitable for optional use and materially longer than the distance between said arm rests, each end of said loop being attached to one of said arms.

4. A float comprising an inflatable back portion fluted longitudinally, two buoyant arm rests joined thereto at the sides of said back portion near one end thereof and extending, when back and arms are inflated, substantially perpendicular in all directions to the plane of said back portion.

5. A'multi-purpose inflatable device suitable as a back rest in bed, comprising an inflatable back portion, fluted to form columns for longitudinal stiffness, arm rests positioned at the side edges of said back portion near one end thereof attached thereto for resilient extension therefrom, with the center plane of the arms substantially at right angles to the plane of said back portion and said arms being proportioned and positioned to provide when inflated combined buoyancies in the water in conjunction with the back which will support a user in stable equilibrium with said arms are positioned under the arms of the user.

6. In an inflated device having a back-supporting portion comprising at least five integral, adjacent and vertical columns and an equal number of bulbous members of larger cross section than said columns diverging upward and symmetrically laterally therefrom to terminate each of said columns and effective to make said back-supporting portion normally concave.

7'. In an inflated device having a back-supporting portion comprising at least five integral, adjacent and airfilled columns, and an equal number of bulbous members of materially larger cross section than said columns diverging upward and laterally therefrom to terminate said columns to make said back-supporting portion normally concave in both horizontal and vertical axis.

8. In an inflated device having a back-supporting portion comprising at least five integral, adjacent and airfilled columns, an equal number of bulbous members of materially larger cross section than said columns diverging upward and laterally therefrom to terminate said columns at one end and a terminal horizontal member joined to said back by a long radius seal with its center near the center line of said back-supporting portion at the other end thereof and acting to make said back-supporting portion concave when said terminal member is hinged or bent along said long radius seal diagonally away from the plane of said columns.

9. In an inflatable device having a back-supporting portion comprising a plurality of symmetrically arranged, integral and adjacent air-filled vertical columns, an equal number of bulbous members of materially larger cross section than said columns diverging upward and laterally therefrom to terminate the upper ends of said columns and a horizontal column at the lower end of said vertical columns and joined to said back-supporting portion by a long radius seal with its center near the top of the center 6 line thereof and a plurality of heat seals along said long radius seal substantially at right angles thereto to eflect a shortening of the adjacent side of said horizontal column in comparison with its opposite side, thereby effecting a concavity of said back as said horizontal column is bent or hinged along said long radius seal.

10. In an inflatable device having a back-supporting portion comprising a plurality of symmetrically arranged, integral, adjacent and air-filled columns and a transverse column interconnecting said symmetrically arranged columns, a second transverse column hinged adjacent to said first mentioned transverse column and means to eifect shortening of the side of the second transverse column adjacent to the first transverse column to produce a concavity of the symmetrical arrangement of the first mentioned columns when the second transverse column is hinged rearward.

11. An inflatable back rest or aqua chaise comprising a relatively large back portion peripherally heat sealed for inflation, and two relatively smaller arm rests peripherally heat sealed for inflation and curved loop-like seals positioned within said peripheral seals, when said arms are superimposed on said back portion, to join said arms to said back portion in such a manner that inflation will cause said arms to extend at a substantial angle from the plane of said back portion and to resiliently resist outward or inward deviation therefrom.

No references cited.

MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner. A. E. CORRIGAN, Assistant Examiner. 

11. AN INFLATABLE BACK REST OR AQUA CHAISE COMPRISING A RELATIVELY LARGE BACK PORTION PERIPHERALLY HEAT SEALED FOR INFLATION, AND TWO RELATIVELY SMALLER ARM RESTS PERIPHERALLY HEAT SEALED FOR INFLATION AND CURVED LOOP-LIKE SEALS POSITIONED WITHIN SAID PERIPHERAL SEALS, WHEN SAID ARMS ARE SUPERIMPOSED ON SAID BACK PORTIONS, TO JOIN SAID ARMS TO SAID BACK PORTION IN SUCH A MANNER THAT INFLATION WILL CAUSE SAID ARMS TO EXTEND AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE FROM THE 